


In the old woods

by UndeadFae



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Fantasy AU, Fluff, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Violence, Not Beta Read, idk how else to tag this let me know if i missed anyting brain no work, it's mostly them being idiots really, it's not too much but it's there, minor hurt/comfort, werewolf genda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24769546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadFae/pseuds/UndeadFae
Summary: Sakuma thought he was going to die in those woods. What a way to go for a prideful warrior, bleeding in some forsaken forest and about to be mauled by a wolf to boot. Too bad it's not his time yet, and the wolf is not all he seems. Those woods were full of surprises.
Relationships: Genda Koujirou/Sakuma Jirou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	In the old woods

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic was actually my first attempt at an actual werewolf Genda fic. It was a wip I found in my tablet from back in september that was sitting there at 3k words and unfinished so I thought 'I can quickly add some stuff and finish it right?'  
> AND 8K WORDS LATER HERE WE FUCKING ARE  
> I tried to edit it as much as I could but it's late and I'm tired so here it goes please take it and maybe leave a kudo or a comment if you'd like. DON'T JUDGE MY TITLES I'M GONNA CRY WHENEVER I WRITE THEM

Of all the ways Sakuma expected to die, _this_ was not one of them.

The wolf in front of him was tall, at least a head taller than him, with deep blue eyes, a rough, messy fur of a dark auburn color and two scars going over its right eye. It could've easily ripped him in half with a single bite.

Sakuma did the only thing he could think of. He raised his sword against the wolf, ready to fight to the death, even when he had next to no chances of surviving against the terrifying beast.

"Try to eat me and I won't hesitate to skin you alive." He tried really hard to sound threatening, to show that he meant each of his words, but it didn't seem to faze the wolf- if anything, it almost looked amused at the threat, huffing right in his face and ruffling his hair, like it didn't even consider him a danger. It probably didn't. "I mean that you know!" The wolf yawned. That little shit. No, it didn't matter that it was way bigger than him, Sakuma could still call it a little shit.

"Are you-" Another wave of dizziness overtook him, and he almost collapsed from the pain. His blood loss had gotten so bad he must've be hallucinating or something, because he could swear he saw something that looked suspiciously like concern flashing in the wolf's eyes. And then a snout invaded his personal space, sniffing him and eyeing what little could be seen of his wound through the bloodied fingers pressing on it.

"Hey!" Dropping his sword, he weakly shoved the mutt away. "I'm not dead yet, so quit that! You'll have to go find another dumbass to eat!" And the wolf huffed again, narrowing its eyes as if trying to say 'really?'. Sakuma decided to ignore it, slowly picking up his sword to lean on it. A few limping steps later and he collapsed. The wolf was on him as soon as his body hit the floor, Sakuma already expecting it to maul him and rip him to shreds... when the wolf picked him up by the back of his shirt with a surprising amount of care and started walking.

"W-what..." Sakuma tried to protest, to get out of the wolf's grasp, but he was already struggling to keep his eye open, black spots filling his vision. He passed out in a matter of minutes.

When he woke up, it took a while for Sakuma's confused and still dizzy mind to figure out where he was or what happened. Eye squinting at the ceiling he didn't recognize, he finally decided a few minutes later to try and stand up to figure out just what the hell was going on. When he felt a jolt of pain in his side, he remembered the recent events: the ambush, his injury, aimlessly wandering around the woods and the wolf that picked him up. The memories were enough to shake him awake, almost making him fall off the bed he was resting on. Not without struggling, Sakuma manages to get up, leaning on the wall to not fall. Looking around, he realized the mysterious room was small, trees clearly visible from the window. A shack in the woods- and an old and decaying one, if the old wood that smelled of mold it was made of was anything to go by.

With far more effort than what he liked, Sakuma slowly made his way to the door, only walking a bit faster once he caught the smell of smoke and meat. In the clearing outside, near the campfire, there was a boy seemingly around his age with untamed auburn hair, sitting with his back facing him, busy roasting a piece of meat. Sakuma rubbed his eye and squinted, convinced that he must've been seeing wrong- but no, there was really a dark auburn tail poking from his pants, occasionally twitching and moving.

For a while, Sakuma was just squinting, brain still processing what he was seeing. Then, the boy turned to look at him- "Oh, you're awake." -and he spotted a pair of ears alert and almost hidden by the hair, just a shade darker than his wild mane, along with a pair of scars going over his right eye.

"... You're the wolf." He blurted it out without thinking, as if he had just solved some big mystery. The boy just quirked an eyebrow with a tiny, amused smile.

"I thought that was obvious."

"Oh." Then he remembered something. "So... you're not going to eat me?" Maybe he was still delirious from blood loss after all. Wolf boy was struggling to hold back his laughter.

"We don't eat humans. They have too little meat for us." Somehow he managed to say that almost completely serious. Sakuma was only half sure that the last part was meant as a joke.

"... You're kidding, right? Right?" The boy just turned back to the roasting meat, taking it away from the fire before it could burn. He could only keep hoping that it was really a joke.

"You hungry? There's enough food if you want." Well, if anything that meant that wolf boy wasn't really going to eat him. That and it had probably been a while since his last meal.

"... Alright."

* * *

The boy's name is Koujirou and he's a werewolf.

Sakuma remembered the stories he used to hear as a child, of fearsome creatures with a thirst for blood and no mind or mercy, massive beasts that hunted anything that moved and slaughtered countless innocent people, soulless monsters that ripped apart flesh and bones alike with the same ease one could cut butter. Every time he tried to associate one of those stories with the surprisingly kind boy sharing a meal with him, he just hit a wall over and over. It just didn't compute, and if he hadn't seen the big wolf with his own eye, he would've thought that Koujirou was just lying to him.

"So, what were you doing in the woods? Not a lot of people tend to wander in there, much less half dead." Instinctively, Sakuma brought a hand to his freshly treated injury, frowning as he remembered what happened mere hours ago. That had been far too close for his liking.

"I... got ambushed." It was all he was willing to explain for now. He hated to admit how easily he fell for a trap like that. Something dangerous flashed in Koujirou's eyes.

"Bandits, right?" Sakuma glanced at him questioningly, the venom in his voice not going unnoticed. "There's a group of them living on the eastern mountain, they're more trouble than they're worth. They... might have tried to... take me a few times. So..." He looked away, trailing off unsurely. Sakuma now had a feeling he knew where those scars came from. The traffic of all kind of creatures sadly wasn't unheard off, and he felt sick at his stomach just thinking about it. He might be doing all sort of odd jobs to make a living, but there was a line he just refused to cross.

"Wait- why did you help me then? I could've been like them for all you knew." Koujirou just quirked an eyebrow as if the question made no sense.

"Why not? You needed help, didn't you? And no offense, but even if you did try to attack I could've defended myself." Suddenly, he was very much aware of the sharp fangs so easily tearing and shredding big chunks of meat. It still kinda surprises him how easily Koujirou just decided to help a complete stranger- he knew he himself would've been at least more wary. “Besides… they don’t know where this place is yet. They get lost too easily and prefer to stick to the main road. It’s safer here.”

"Well... thank you for that. Really. You saved my life there." Koujirou just smiled.

"You're welcome."

For a while, the rest of their meal was spent in silence, occasionally broken by a question or a brief conversation. Despite the fairly pleasant and quiet moment, there was still something bothering Sakuma. It took him a while to put his finger on it.

"Can I ask something?" Koujirou just looked at him expectantly. He almost didn't want to keep talking. "Why are you here alone? I mean-"

"This is what happens when a pack gets decimated." The image of far too many heads and pelts hung as hunt trophies in some snotty noble's house flashed through his mind. He never liked them as a child, the irrational fear that they might come back to life for revenge or something and attack him rooted in his mind. Now he didn't like them for a different reason.

"Sorry..." Koujirou just shook his head.

"It's fine, don't worry- it's already been a few years anyways... Life keeps going." There is still a hint of grief in his voice. Sakuma decided to not ask again. "At least I found this place- sure, it's old and it's not the best, but it's better than nothing. Besides, it's a pretty good hunting ground."

He still sounded melancholic, as if he was just trying to convince himself. That hint of sadness didn't belong in his voice, and Sakuma didn't like it.

A few hours later, when Sakuma realized it was starting to get late, he rushed to gather all his stuff to leave before nightfall, already trying to work out the best route to reach the nearest city or inn in time.

"Thank you for all your help and saving me, really, but I have to get going-"

"I wouldn't leave now if I were you. The bandits are very active at this hour, they'll kill you if they find you." Sakuma just stopped dead on his tracks. Now that wasn't an appealing possibility. "You can stay here for a while and recover if you'd like." For a moment, Sakuma considered it, almost like he was staying at an old friend's house instead of a decaying tiny shack in the woods occupied by a lone wolf.

"Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn't want to impose, you already helped me enough."

"I never said you were imposing- I don't mind if that's what worries you." Koujirou just looked at him expectantly, an ear raised and the other flopping in a far too perfect image of an innocent puppy face- he didn't even look aware of it, and Sakuma refused to believe it wasn't on purpose.

Then it hit him.

Wolves are very social animals by nature, rarely straying from their packs to survive alone, usually finding their own pack in those rare occasions. Koujirou has been alone for years, having to watch his back from greedy humans and all kind of dangers without another wolf to help, without even a friend to turn to, stuck in that rotting place by himself. Sakuma himself knew how loneliness felt, how hard it was to spend sleepless nights just to watch over his shoulder and live to see another day, how oppressing the silence could get at times. He had been travelling for barely a year and half, he couldn't even begin to imagine how it must've felt like to be so lonely for far longer.

"Alright, you win..." Koujirou's smile felt warmer than the fireplace. "But you'll take the bed- it's your place and I won't take a no for an answer."

In the end, Sakuma was almost manhandled into the bed -"I'm more comfortable sleeping on the floor and you need to rest."- with an old blanket to keep him warm. On second thought, the mattress wasn't all that comfortable and the blanket wasn't big enough to cover him completely unless he curled up on himself, but he quickly found out that he didn't care- too much. The wolf was sprawled on the floor and taking up almost all the space in the room, peacefully snoozing and occasionally twitching and moving in his sleep- no wonder he said he was more comfortable on the floor. It was an endearing sight in its own odd way.

Knowing he wasn't alone, Sakuma slept more at ease that night.

* * *

When he woke up the next day, Koujirou was already gone. Walking out of the old shack, the first thing he noticed was once again the smell of roasted meat, and then Koujirou watching the fire.

"Need help?"

Koujirou turned around, an ear twitching and a smile on his face before he shook his head.

“I got this, don’t worry.”

Sakuma stepped a bit closer anyways, sitting a few feet away from the fire as Koujirou finished cooking their food. It didn’t take much longer, Koujirou quickly offering him a piece of roasted meat that he assumed was boar. Now that he wasn’t about to die from blood loss any time soon, Sakuma could take a closer look to what he was eating rather than just shoving it in his mouth out of near desperation.

Regardless, it didn’t smell or look weird, so he just bit into it- it’s not like Koujirou didn’t have the means to defend himself or kill him sooner if he wanted, so no reason to doubt the food of all the things.

“You know… this tastes pretty good. What did you do?” He didn’t exactly expect high cuisine from an abandoned shack in the woods, but it was nothing to laugh at… especially for an abandoned shack in the woods.

“I don’t know- I’ve found some plants and stuff that smelled nice in the forest and I just… sort of tried them. They worked, so I kept looking for them.” So he discovered condiments on his own. Sakuma wasn’t sure what he was expecting, actually, but that made sense to him. In some way. Perhaps what really surprised was how Koujirou hadn’t poisoned himself so far. “Why? Something wrong?”

“No, not at all- just… curious. Didn’t really expect to find this sort of stuff here.” He kept mindlessly chewing, trying to tell the herbs apart with newfound curiosity. “So you learned how to do this on your own?”

Koujirou went quiet, to then shake his head.

“I… the wolves in my pack used to do this- collect plants and cook. I wasn’t really old enough to remember most of it, though.”

Oh. That… made sense. And now Sakuma felt awful for asking.

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Koujirou just shook his head again as soon as he started apologizing.

“You didn’t know- you have nothing to apologize for.” Sakuma didn’t quite feel like that was right, but finally decided not to press the issue any more. No use actually upsetting him now.

The rest of the meal was silent, Koujirou standing up and walking into the woods without a word. Unsure of what to do, Sakuma put out the fire, now decided to help out at least a bit to repay his kindness… not like he was really sure on what to do, he wasn’t really sure on what exactly Koujirou could need. And so he settled for venturing into the forest to collect wood, fruit and whatever else he could find that he deemed useful.

He could just leave that stuff ready for him as a thanks before leaving, right?

He also decided to wait for him- the least he could was say goodbye before leaving after how much Koujirou had helped him.

Sitting by the entrance of the decaying shack, Sakuma just patiently waited, debating whether or not to try and get some more stuff done for the time being. He was ready to get up and go inside to sort his own things just to be ready to walk away when the bushes rustled, the now familiar wolf stepping out and shaking the leaves out of his fur.

“Hey, Koujirou- what were you doing out there?” The wolf glanced at him, shifting back as he inched closer.

“Just checking everything, making sure no one’s getting closer to finding out.” Sakuma didn’t really need to ask what. “Anyways- how are you feeling? Your injury…”

“It’s fine- well, it’s still healing, but it’s… definitely better than the other day.” He didn’t think he would be this glad over that, either- not with his less than favorable circumstances. “I… I don’t think I can thank you enough for that.”

Koujirou just looked at him, slight confusion turning into a soft smile.

“You don’t have to thank me, I already told you.”

“Still…” seriously, how could he be so kind to a complete stranger? And really not even ask for a thanks? Sakuma still couldn’t quite understand it.

Before he could say anything else, Koujirou was already stepping inside the shack, looking around for this or that. Sakuma opened his mouth, ready to announce that he was leaving and that his help had been greatly appreciated.

He silently closed it as he stepped inside right behind him, a hand mindlessly nursing his wound.

* * *

"Are you cold?" Sakuma stubbornly refused to admit it, but he couldn't really hide how badly he was shivering. Winter was already well on its way, and in such a poorly kept shack the cold didn't make itself wait.

"I-I-I'm f-fine-" As expected, Koujirou didn't believe him. While Sakuma tried to not become an ice statue, he found himself being hoisted up by the back of his shirt and dragged to the floor. "Hey-!" And then he was suddenly swarmed by a very warm improvised mattress of fur. When he looked around, he found Koujirou had shifted and curled up around him, the wolf looking at him for a moment before getting comfortable and closing his eyes, draping his tail over Sakuma as a makeshift blanket.

"... Thank you." He quickly got comfortable, no longer cold and shivering, and was soon lulled to sleep by Koujirou's calming heartbeat. That night, he slept better than he had in months, and it wasn't just because of the warmth.

The following night, the wolf was laying on the floor and looking at Sakuma with that cursed puppy-like innocent gaze and tail wagging, already waiting for him. Sakuma only huffed at the sight, yet he couldn't hold back a smile as he went to sit on the floor and get comfortable on the impossibly soft and warm fur, letting out a content sigh as he snuggled in it and slowly fell asleep.

It quickly became a habit to just sleep cuddled together, bed often forgotten in favor of getting as comfortable as possible on the floor, where Koujirou could stretch as much as he wanted. Sakuma would always deny how much he loved something as simple as that, just snuggling together as they slowly drifted off to sleep, sometimes listening to the rain falling outside, other times just mindlessly chatting as he fell asleep. He hadn’t realized how much he needed Koujirou there with him until now. And now he didn’t want to trade this for anything in the world.

Maybe staying wasn’t such a bad idea.

* * *

With each day that Sakuma spent in the shack with Koujirou, it started to become a habit to find himself woken up by a warm breath in his face and a wet snout lightly pushing him.

"I'm awake, I'm awake... Stop that..." His words were slurred and his eye refused to open, still snuggling in the comfortable fur as if trying to go back to sleep, murmuring something about a puppy or something like that, Koujirou couldn't tell for sure. He definitely wasn't awake. Without thinking, Sakuma reached up to scratch Koujirou's ear. The wolf went still for a moment, his tail wagging wildly and barely avoiding hitting Sakuma in the process. When he realized what was happening, Koujirou abruptly shook his head and stood up, letting Sakuma fall to the floor with an arm still hanging in the air. He didn't get up, squinting at the air until his eye landed on Koujirou.

"... You're not Spots."

"... No?" At some point, Koujirou had turned back to his human form, standing next to Sakuma and looking down at him, a faint shade of pink tinting his cheeks. Despite his embarrassment, he helped Sakuma get to his feet with a muttered apology before bolting out of the door.

When he was awake enough to realize he confused a giant wolf with his childhood pet, Sakuma had the decency to want to dig a hole to crawl into after apologizing profusely. Koujirou just waved him off, claiming it wasn't such a big deal and telling him to just forget about it, yet the heat in his cheeks refused to leave after recalling the incident. When he thought back to it later, Sakuma slowly realized that the sight of a flustered Koujirou wasn't something he wanted to forget so easily.

* * *

What was just meant to be a few days of rest to recover quickly turned into weeks before either of them could realize it. Not like either of them minded, really. Koujirou liked not being alone, and Sakuma was glad to keep him company. Sometimes, when Sakuma woke up early enough, they went hunting together, gathering fruit and other food along the way. Sakuma wasn’t exactly an expert hunter, used to just occasionally catching a rabbit or a fish and then keep going with whatever else he could find when there was no city or town within travelling distance. He had managed just fine, despite what others might say about him being on the thinner side.

With Koujirou, however- that was making a difference, a bigger one than he expected. Koujirou could eat anything else just as he could eat meat, but with a clear preference for just about any meat, the need to hunt was constant, a bit more than usual now that he was feeding Sakuma as well. And so Sakuma was determined to help.

He had started carving it with meticulous care a few days after he started staying there. He wasn’t as good with ranged weapons as he was with just sword and knife, but he had taken enough lessons to learn how to use and craft a bow just fine. Just one of the many things he had learned to survive.

It didn’t take much to get bow and arrows done. The testing to make sure they would actually hit his target was the harder part, enough trial and error to drive him crazy and last him for a life time. And Koujirou was just watching curiously, not even flinching whenever he lost his patience and had to craft a new arrow after snapping in half the last one.

“So… what are you trying to do, exactly?”

“Bow and arrows- it’s easier to hunt when you can attack before they can see you.” He let out a soft sigh as he closely observed his latest arrow- it was a bit bent in an odd way, but couldn’t really be picky with twigs in the wild. Koujirou just pouted, rolling on his stomach to let his tail free.

“I know that, I’m a predator by nature- I mean _why_ you’re doing this.”

“That’s easy. I want to help you hunt.”

Koujirou blinked. That must not have been the answer he expected.

“… but why? I can hunt just fine.” It sounded logical to him, at least- if he could hunt just fine, then there was no need for the two of them to do it, right?

“I know- I’m not saying you can’t-! I just- I want to help.” Koujirou just stared, waiting for him to go on. “You’ve been hunting for the both of us all this time. I appreciate it, really, but… I don’t feel like it’s right. I don’t want to leave all the work to you.”

Koujirou kept staring at him. Then, he smiled, warm and bright. Sakuma looked away as he felt his cheeks suddenly hotter.

“Thank you.”

“I-it’s nothing…”

A few hours later, and his arrows were ready once again. Sakuma notched one, trying to get a better feeling of the weight this time around. It did feel better than the last few attempts, but he still didn’t know if it would actually work.

“Hey, Koujirou- do you feel like going hunting today?”

He didn’t even need an answer, looking at the perked up ears and tail going at high speed was already enough.

With Koujirou tracking down the prey for them, finding something to test the new weapon on was much quicker than Sakuma expected. Notching an arrow, he took a deep breath, raising his bow and trying to steady his hands as he aimed carefully, taking his time to wait and aim straight to the heart.

When he felt ready, he released the arrow. It cleanly cut through his target, the deer silently toppling over, laying unmoving on the ground.

Koujirou could hardly contain his excitement at Sakuma's first big hunt.

* * *

"Hey..." Koujirou stopped eating for a moment to look at him, an ear flicking in a silent question. "Haven't you thought of leaving this place? I mean, travelling is pretty fun when you get used to it and..." Sakuma trailed off, biting into his meal to justify his awkward pause. He wasn't sure he wanted to bring up how lonely the wolf looked stuck there on his own. Or how he might have to leave anyways one day and didn’t want to tell him.

"Well... It sounds tempting, but... I don't know..." He awkwardly brushed the back of his neck as he looked away with a bit of a forced chuckle. "It's not like I have anywhere to go- and... it's not easy to walk around people when you're a wolf. These things aren't exactly easy to hide." His tail was twitching and swaying behind him. Sakuma had noticed after a few days that it never stayed still whenever he was nervous or uneasy.

“… But isn’t it dangerous here for you?”

Koujirou gave a soft nod.

“It… it is… but I’m used to it. I know how to defend myself.” They both knew that wasn’t what Sakuma was truly worried about.

"... You could always come with me." He blurted that out without thinking. "I-I mean- I don't really have a place either- and it's always better to travel together- b-besides, it’s not like it would be a problem if I’m there with you and-" his rambling was abruptly cut off when he heard Koujirou chuckle.

"I... I'll think about it. Thank you for the offer."

Sakuma wasn’t sure what it was, but something was… off. Like just having to think about his proposal had hit a sore spot. It didn’t make sense- why would he not try to leave a place where he was in constant danger? Why would he keep risking being found out and killed? Or worse?

Sakuma wanted to ask, to keep talking to him until he could get an answer and find out how to help him. He didn’t ask again that day.

* * *

“Koujirou- where the hell did you go all day? I was getting worried-”

Sakuma's more than a little worried rant died down as soon as he took a good look at Koujirou, more disheveled than ever as he grinned at him, the bag slung over his shoulder looking much heavier than it should be. Sakuma just raised an eyebrow.

“Should I be worried?” Koujirou just shook his head, grin not leaving his face.

“I was looking for food.” And with that, he handed the bag to Sakuma. A bit skeptical, Sakuma peeked into the bag, his eye widening once he spotted various mushrooms, eggs, herbs and a few other ingredients he couldn’t recognize at a first glance. Then, Koujirou handed him the pheasants he had hunted down and dragged with him, too big and fatty to fit inside the bag as well.

Sakuma didn’t miss how it all looked like the rarest ingredients that he had ever seen in his travels, the sort of things he only would find in the kitchens of nobles.

“You… what…?”

“I… wanted to get you something special. So I tried to find the best stuff I’ve seen in the forest. I was careful picking everything, you know?”

He… took care of only taking the best he could find, even when he could’ve just as easily hunted down another boar or deer and be done with it. And he did it for him.

Sakuma couldn’t help the smile on his face, nor could he help the excited hug he gave Koujirou, holding him as close as he could for a moment before pulling back.

“Thank you- really, I appreciate it a lot. We’ll make something special with this, alright?”

“I-it’s no problem- b-but I would like that-”

Sakuma didn’t mention the hint of red on his cheeks as he looked away, more focused on figuring out what they could do with what Koujirou brought back. He would make sure to make it as special as Koujirou wanted to, for both of them.

In the end, they worked something out. Koujirou had taken it upon himself to clean the pheasants while Sakuma took care of the rest, eventually managing to cook it all with much better results than what Sakuma would've ever expected. The pain and effort were all worth it when he got to look at Koujirou's excited smile and content sigh as the food was almost ready.

He wouldn't mind getting to see that smile more often.

* * *

When Sakuma woke up, he could feel that something was... different. Wrong. It was just his instinct, but he knew better than to ignore it and go on like nothing was wrong in the world. It had already been the difference between life and death enough times as it was.

It looked like Koujirou was feeling it as well. When Sakuma walked outside, he found him eerily still, ears alert, twitching and moving to catch the tiniest sound in the woods.

"What's wrong?"

Koujirou didn't move.

"I don't know yet, but it's bad."

Sakuma hesitantly stepped closer, watching their surroundings. As much as he tried to find something, any sign of danger or threat, there was nothing. It unsettled him, to say the least.

“But…”

“… It’s a gut feeling.” Koujirou wasn’t convinced by this apparent peace, tail swishing behind him as his ears and nose twitched. “I can feel it.”

Sakuma didn’t like it. He already knew to trust his own instincts, but if even the wolf was so uneasy without an apparent reason… whatever it was, it couldn’t really be good.

Maybe this place- Koujirou's home wasn’t really safe anymore.

“Maybe we should leave-”

“No.” Koujirou didn’t even take the time to listen to him. Sakuma blinked, staring at him like he had gone crazy. No? Really?

“A-are you crazy? W-what-”

“I’m not leaving.” He wasn’t budging. Sakuma knew just how stubborn Koujirou could actually be at times, but this… this was different. Something wasn’t right.

“… Why?” He didn’t reply right away, body now tense and tail eerily still, his ears dropping. There was something he wasn’t telling Sakuma. “Why is this place so important?” Still no answer. This time, Sakuma wouldn’t stay quiet. “… You didn’t just find it one day, did you? Something here matters to you.”

Koujirou suddenly tensed up.

“It’s _nothing_.” The sudden harshness in his voice was a threat, daring Sakuma to say more. He had never seen Koujirou like this… but that just confirmed his suspicions. He didn’t like it.

“Listen, Koujirou-”

“Leave.”

Sakuma froze. Did he… hear that right?

When he didn’t move right away, Koujirou made himself clear.

“Leave- now. If you really think it’s going to be so dangerous, then leave. Go away and stay safe.”

Sakuma couldn’t tell if it was his anger, his fear or both speaking. He swallowed hard, trying to just process those words and let them sink in. It hurt more than he would've ever wanted to admit, knowing his friend was asking him that.

Koujirou was asking- telling him to leave. To leave him alone there, facing who knows what sort of danger on his own.

“Koujirou, I-”

“I said to leave.” He almost snarled. Sakuma went quiet, looking away. There was no use arguing with him now, was there…?

“… Fine.”

He didn’t need to gather his things, really, it had all been packed since the first day, waiting for the moment he had hoped wouldn’t actually come. Reluctantly, he slung the bag over his shoulder, stepping outside with the weak hope that Koujirou had changed his mind. To not avail.

“… Alright. Please… be careful and take care of yourself.”

Without waiting for an answer, he hurried to leave, silently cursing the wolf.

* * *

Sakuma had already been walking for a while when he heard them, almost too busy with his own thoughts to notice. Heavy footsteps coming closer. He managed to snap out of his shock quick enough to climb up a tree, hiding among the foliage to keep an eye out for… whoever it was.

He didn’t need to look at their ugly mugs and old weapons to know it was the bandits.

Then, he realized the direction they were heading into and he froze, nearly falling off the tree.

As soon as they were all gone, he rushed to get down, almost stumbling more than once, then sprinted back as fast as he could run, jumping over a few bear traps, heart in his throat as he weakly hoped he wasn’t too late.

He stopped at the bushes, almost revealing himself to the bandits. His heart sank as he watched them raid the old shack, Koujirou nowhere to be seen.

As some of them left for the woods nearby, Sakuma took a deep, silent breath, pulling out his bow and counting his arrows. Just enough for a few failed tries if he didn’t nail any of them at the first arrow. He had to make it work anyways.

And so he notched the first arrow, aimed and let it go. A choked gasp. He quickly moved in the shadows as he notched the second arrow, releasing it faster than the first one. The body fell without a sound.

Sakuma kept going, relentless and uncaring, making quick work of the bandits. He didn’t have time to waste on them. He didn’t even check to make sure that they were all dead before rushing towards the woods.

All he had to do was follow the careless destruction, careful of stepping around any remaining trap.

Then, he saw the wolf and his blood boiled.

He was surrounded, swords, daggers, knives, spears, bows all raised and pointed at him, yet he stood tall and proud, prepared to fight to the death, trying not to flinch even as one of his hind legs was caught in a bear trap, already bleeding profusely and making him limp. Even with his size and fierceness, there was no way he could hold his own against so many bandits and survive, much less with an injury like that. Sakuma wasn't going to stand for this, wasn’t going to just let him die, even if that was his intention after sending him away.

And so, Sakuma raised his sword, not thinking twice before throwing himself in the battle before it started.

The surprise was enough to throw everyone off guard, Koujirou included. Sakuma managed to stab someone before they finally snapped out of the shock and fought back, weapons now raised against him. Then, Koujirou moved, growling and snarling as he lunged at them, biting and tearing any flesh he could find. Even with the bear trap digging into his leg, even when the blades hit him, he wasn’t backing down.

The two were, to simply put it, brutal. If someone aimed a sword or a dagger at one of them, the other was on the poor bastard within seconds, stabbing and biting and just killing in cold blood. As scratched, bruised and beat up as they were, they didn’t back down until all the bandits were dead.

For a moment, they just shared a glance, breath heavy and heart pounding, still recovering after the adrenaline rush of the heated battle. Then, Koujirou winced and nearly collapsed, the pain of his trapped leg now settling in.

“Koujirou!” Sword dropped as soon as he was at his side, Sakuma took a sharp breath at the bloody sight. Koujirou looked at him, ears dropping and tail between his legs. “I-it’s okay… just- just give me a moment and be ready to pull it out-” Hesitantly, Sakuma grabbed the trap, wincing as he heard the pained whine. “I-I know, I’m sorry… Here we go, alright?” Not like Koujirou had much of a choice. To the count of three, Sakuma forced the trap open. As soon as Koujirou limped out of it, he let it snap shut again, kicking it away and turning to Koujirou instead.

Koujirou had already turned back to human, wincing as he tried to stop the bleeding.

“Koujirou… wait, I’ll just-” Sakuma was already reaching for his bag, mentally going over all his supplies and what he needed.

“W-wait- we don’t have time for this-” Sakuma stopped in his tracks, glancing at him. “T-that… that wasn’t all of them. I know there’s more…”

“… Then we’ll have to leave before they can find us.”

“What-?” Before Koujirou could protest, Sakuma was on his feet, bag secured over his shoulder as he got closer. Then, he picked Koujirou up to carry him on his back, careful of not touching his bleeding ankle. “W-what are you-”

“Don’t be an idiot- I’m not leaving you again, even if you tell me to. We’re leaving- _now_.” And he started walking before Koujirou could say anything. Not like he had anything to say, as much as he hated to admit it, Sakuma was right. Koujirou quietly sighed, allowing Sakuma to carry him, barely flinching at the pain as he clung a bit tighter to him. He didn’t look back, even when the realization that he was most likely leaving his home behind permanently finally sunk in. There was no point in it.

For a while, Sakuma walked in silence, Koujirou limiting himself to keeping ears, eyes and nose out for any danger, just in case someone actually managed to follow them.

It didn’t take much longer for Koujirou to grow tired of the awkward silence between them.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Sakuma knew exactly what it was- he just wanted to hear Koujirou say it.

“Why did you come back? After I just…”

Sakuma huffed, rolling his eye.

“Why not? You’re my friend and you needed help. I wasn’t going to just leave you and save myself.” Even when that was exactly what Koujirou expected, picking Sakuma's life over his own, even when it had been just a spur of the moment.

“… I’m sorry.”

Sakuma almost stopped walking just to put him down and look at him in the eyes. He let out an exasperated sigh and kept going.

“Don’t apologize- you don’t have to. I get it, really- you didn’t mean to.” He could tell that Koujirou wasn’t really buying it, even without being able to see his face. “I mean it- I decided to come back for you… and I don’t regret it.”

“… So… we’re still friends?” His question was almost hesitant. Sakuma didn’t think twice before answering.

“We’re still friends.”

He could almost feel Koujirou's relief, his arms now holding onto Sakuma a bit tighter.

Eventually, they made it to a crack in the mountain, far away enough and hidden enough that Sakuma deemed –hoped- it was safe for the night. If the panic didn’t confuse him, then they had moved in the opposite direction from the bandits, enough that they shouldn’t have any reason to be around there. he really hoped so, especially when they needed to rest.

The cave wasn’t that big, but it was enough to comfortably sit or lay in without having trouble moving. It would have to do for now, they couldn’t afford to be picky.

Sakuma couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved when he finally was able to put down Koujirou- his size and weight didn’t exactly help, honestly. Maybe he should find some stick big enough to work as a cane or crutch for now. A thought he’d save for later. Opening his bag, Sakuma now pulled out the supplies from his bag, sitting in front of Koujirou to finally and properly take care of his injury. It… wasn’t pretty, and he almost regretted leaving it like that for so long.

“Stay still… I’ll try to be quick.” Koujirou just silently nodded.

Cleaning and treating his injury was much easier now that he didn’t have to worry about both their lives being in immediate danger. Sakuma kept whispering soft apologizes whenever he saw Koujirou tense up or wince as he prodded the injured ankle, just trying to get the job done as quickly and painlessly as possible for his sake. It was a small relief to know that it wasn’t as serious as he feared.

When he was done, Sakuma carefully put everything back into his bag- and turned to glare at Koujirou when he tried to stand up.

“Don’t walk. Or shift.”

Koujirou stopped right as he was about to do exactly that, an ear flopping over as he looked at him.

“But-”

“Koujirou, you’re hurt. I don’t really know how that stuff works exactly, but you still need to rest and recover- and I doubt shifting whenever you feel like it or walking around like nothing’s wrong will help.”

Koujirou sighed, sitting back down with a frown. Sakuma moved to sit at his side, bag resting on his lap as he went through his things.

“Are you hungry? I still have some food in here.”

“… Meat?”

“Uh… sure, but it’s dried, if you don’t mind that…” Koujirou just nodded, extending his hand. Sakuma hid a smile as he offered him the meat, just taking some fruits for himself. He made a note of going to find more later. Or the day after- it was starting to get late… might be safer to just stay hidden for the night.

* * *

“Hey, Koujirou…”

Koujirou looked at him as soon as he heard his name.

“What…?”

Sakuma took a deep breath. He probably shouldn’t be asking, really- he should keep it all to himself and just be glad that they both got out of there alive, that he didn’t have to lose someone so close to him that day.

“… Why was that place so important to you?” There, he said it. And he was already regretting his stupid decisions as soon as he felt Koujirou tense at his side. “N-nevermind-”

“My parents and I used to live here.”

Sakuma froze. He was expecting silence, lashing out, even more anger. He wasn’t expecting to actually get an answer, much less that. Koujirou just kept talking, like it really wasn’t opening wounds he didn’t want to touch again.

“I already told you that our pack was all killed… they took me and escaped. And then we found that place and made it home.” He let out a humorless, bitter chuckle. “It didn’t last long. But they had made it home, so…”

“… I’m sorry.”

Koujirou softly sighed, bringing a knee up to his chest to rest his forehead against it. He looked tired, more than what he was willing to admit.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault… and you were putting yourself in danger for me. Letting you know why I was being such an idiot was the least I could do.”

Their conversation died at that, Sakuma not really finding the right words to cheer him up- not even sure if it was right of him to say anything just yet. Koujirou looked too tired to keep talking anyways, still flinching and wincing a bit whenever he moved his leg a bit too much. Sakuma was just surprised and relieved that he hadn’t lost his foot in that trap.

Koujirou needed to rest and recover now. Sakuma would let him do just that- they could talk about anything that needed to be discussed later.

At some point, Sakuma felt a weight on his shoulder, almost startled by it. When he turned to look at Koujirou, he found him asleep and using his shoulder as a pillow.

It suddenly hit Sakuma that this was the first time he had seen Koujirou sleeping in this form. Actually willing to be vulnerable for once, even when he could’ve so easily disregarded his concerns to shift anyways, to keep shielding himself.

Slowly and carefully, Sakuma wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him a bit closer and ignoring the heat creeping on his face. After a bit of an internal debate, Sakuma gently scratched one of his ears. Koujirou just got more comfortable, almost snuggling into the touch.

With a soft smile, Sakuma let himself relax and fall asleep.

* * *

Sakuma woke up to something tickling his nose. Holding back a sneeze, he groaned as he forced his eyes open, now feeling the warm weight in his arms. Then, he finally saw the sleeping wolf curled up in his arms.

Koujirou had fallen asleep leaning against him, and at some point during the night Sakuma must’ve wrapped his arms around him in his sleep. Despite his initial embarrassment and having to stop himself from almost pushing Koujirou away when he felt his face turn redder, Sakuma managed to stay calm. Somewhat. Then, he collected himself enough to shake him awake, as much as he wanted to just hold him closer and watch over him, letting him rest at ease for once.

“Hey, Koujirou… wake up, please…” Koujirou groaned in his sleep, trying to swat his hand away as he snuggled a bit more into his shoulder. Now that just wasn’t fair. “Come on, Koujirou- I need you awake now.”

A bit more groaning and whining, and Koujirou groggily opened an eye, still reluctant to fully wake up. When he was fully awake, Koujirou weakly glared at him, still yawning and stretching his arms.

“Slept well?” Koujirou nodded, still too tired to properly string words together. “Alright… can you stay awake now? I need to go get us food.”

“Fine…” Not like he looked all that eager to get off him just yet, still gladly resting his head on his shoulder. Sakuma huffed, trying to gently push him off.

“Come on… I’m getting hungry…”

After much whining, yawning, groaning and pushing, Koujirou had finally gotten off him, begrudgingly awake and far more grumpy now that he could feel the stinging in his ankle once again.

“How are you feeling?”

Koujirou grumbled, lightly massaging his bandaged ankle. His tail flicked when he touched a sore spot, wincing at the new jolt of pain. Sakuma frowned as he looked, wondering if in the panic of the previous day he could’ve overlooked something serious.

“I’ll go find us some food- then I’ll check your injury, alright?”

“Fine…” He didn’t sound fine, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice in the matter. “… Be careful, please…”

“I will, I promise.” Koujirou didn’t look convinced- not like Sakuma could blame him after what had happened just a few hours ago. “You can trust me. I won’t leave you alone.”

With that, Sakuma started to prepare to leave, gathering his sword and bag, thinking of what he should leave for Koujirou's safety and what he should take for his own. They would need to get more weapons at some point if they were to travel together, if anything at least to make sure Koujirou wouldn’t be defenseless when his wolf form wasn’t available.

“Alright, now-”

Before Sakuma could get away, Koujirou grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer without hesitation, holding him as close as he could in a hug, his ears low. Before Sakuma could ask anything, Koujirou had pressed his lips against his. Koujirou was kissing him. _Him._

Sakuma's brain stopped working right at that moment, some part of him aware just enough to process the fact that this was Koujirou's way of confessing. Confessing his feelings for _him_.

And right as it finally hit him and his face was suddenly burning, Koujirou felt his hesitation, pulling back to look at him, brow furrowing and the slightest hint of fear in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sakuma refused to let him, just pulling him close and kissing him back. He smiled into the kiss when he felt Koujirou relax into it, all his worries gone in a moment.

When they broke the kiss, neither of them wanted to say anything just yet, silently enjoying the wordless confession. It was all they needed for now.

Then, Sakuma finally decided to be the one to speak first.

“… What were you going to do if I didn’t return your feelings?”

Koujirou snorted.

“I’m a wolf. I could pretty much smell the blood rushing to your face and hear your heartbeat whenever you got so flustered around me.” Almost as if on cue, Sakuma let out an undignified noise as he turned bright red in a matter of seconds. “See? Just like that!”

“S-shut up-!”

“Make me.”

Well, it couldn’t be said that Sakuma didn’t try, pouting as he grabbed the front of his shirt to pull him into a kiss, a bit more aggressive than before. And it did work too, Koujirou's eyes widening and his tail gently wagging as he returned the kiss. When they finally pulled back, they could only stare at each other in a comfortable silence. Then, they exchanged a smile.

“… I love you.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
